Lowell has gone 8-2 against Lincoln recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Cardinals will take on the Mustangs at 3:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lowell will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Saturday, then bounced right back against Balboa on Monday. The Cardinals put the hurt on the Buccaneers with a sharp 21-2 win.
Auden Szalva was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI.
Emerson Sakai
| 04/28/25 @ Balboa | 3 |
| 04/24/25 vs Mission | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Washington | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs The Academy - San Francisco | 2 |
| 03/01/25 @ South San Francisco | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Emerson Sakai, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jhomar Ronquillo, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lincoln won against Lick-Wilmerding on Saturday with seven runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Monday. The Mustangs never let Mission get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory. The win was nothing new for the Mustangs as they're now sitting on three straight.
Like Lowell, Lincoln also got a great game from a two-way player: Branson Derrington. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Derrington is becoming a predictor of Lincoln's success: when he allows at most three hits the team is 3-1 (and 10-11 when he doesn't). Derrington was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Xavier Malizia tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
Derrington wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nicholas Chiu, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Lincoln was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive matchups.
Lowell is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Lincoln, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lowell has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lowell came out on top in a nail-biter against Lincoln in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cardinals since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
